Knitting-machine



(No Model.) 2She W. STAFFORD.

1 TTTTT ING MMMMMM E.

No. 691,199. Patented Oct. 5,1897.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. STAFFORD. KNITTING MA-GHINE.

Patented Oo-t. 5,1897.

lHlHlIlllll citizen of the United States, residing at Little ATENTrrion.

WALTER STAFFORD, OF LITTLE FALLS, NEW YORK.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

srncrrron'rron forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,199, dated October5, 1897."

- Application filed February 18, 1897 Serial No. 624,045. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER STAFFORD,a

Falls, in the county of IIerkimer and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention is an attachment for knittingmachines by the use of whichthe ordinary circular-knitting machine may be made to form stripes orother designs; and it consists in certain novel features hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, which fully illustrate my invention, Figure 1is a plan view of rotary jacquard or pattern-controller F, conaknitting-cylinder with my attachment ap plied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line a: a: ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the pattern-disks. Figs. 5 and6 are side views showing a modified form of the device.

Thebed-plateA, the needle-cylinder l3, and the needles 0 are of theusual or any preferred construction and form no part of my presentinvention. Attached to the bed-plate is a bracket 1), in the outer endof which is secured an obliquely-arrangedv stud or pin E, and on thisoblique stud or pin is mounted a sisting of a gear actuated by theneedle-cylinder, and a pattern-disk carried by said gear.

In the preferred form of the device the pattern-disk G is secured to thelower end of a sleeve or hub H, which fits over the stud E and to theupper end of which the gear I is secured. The gear meshes with thetricks J of the needle-cylinder, so as to be rotated thereby, and thepattern-disk is provided on its edge with spurs K, adapted to engage theneedle-butts. The jacquard, it will be noticed, is in the same verticalplane as the needle-cylinder, but is arranged at an angle to thehorizontal plane of the same. Consequently as the cylinder revolves itstricks will engage the gear of the jacquard and rotate until thecircumferences of the cylinder and the disk separate sufficiently toremove the spur from under the needle-butt. The inclination of the diskcauses the needle to rise, and the color carried by this raised needleis knit in the-fabric, while the needles which are not raised do notknit at all on this feed of the machine, but form a backgroundconsisting of a mixture of all the colors on the machine, the raisedneedles producing a solid stripe. After the spur leaves the needle-buttthe needle drops to its former position by its own weight. If the numberof gear-teeth on the pattern-controller is equal to the number of trickson the knitting-cylinder, the same needles will be acted on during eachrevolution,

and consequently the stripes will be formed vertically on the fabric;but if the number of gear-teeth should be different from the num ber ofcylinder-tricks a different needle or set of needles will be raisedduring each successive revolution and the stripes therefore caused torun obliquely on the fabric. The loops are formed on the machine and theneodles operated in the usual manner well known to those skilled in theart, and my attachment may be applied to any vertical-cylinderknitting-machine without necessitating any change in the construction ofthe machine except such slight minor adjustment as will readily suggestitself to the skilled mechanic in fitting the attachment.

In order to provide for a multiplicity of de signs, the jacquard ispreferably built in duplicate, a second gear-wheel I being arrangedbelow the gear I and secured thereto inany convenient manner. The hub ofthis gear I surrounds the hub of the gear I and has a pattern-disk G,secured to its lower end, similar in construction to the pattern-disk G.Supposing, for instance, there are sixty-four tricks in the cylindervand one of the gearwheels has sixty-five teeth while the other hassixty-three teeth, now then on each revolution of the cylinder thedesigner having sixty-five teeth will overreach one tooth, andconsequentlya spiral stripe will be produced by the pattern advancingone needle at each revolution of the cylinder, while at the same timethe other designer will lose one needle at each revolution and produce aspiral stripe running in the opposite direction, the result being adiamond-shaped design. By having several difierent interchangeablepatterndisks and interchanging the same any desired pattern may beproduced.

Where a smaller and more compact arrangement of the device is desired, Iemploy the modified form of the device shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In thisform the gear-wheel is in the form of a disk at, the teeth of which meshwith the needle-butts, so that the device will be rotated by the needlesinstead of by the cylinder-tricks. The pattern-disk b is arrangedimmediately below and is secured to the gear, and its spurs registerwith certain of the spaces between teeth of the gear, thus engagingunder certain needle-butts as they rotate the device, the continuedrotation lifting the needles. The pattern, it will be readilyunderstood, will depend on the number of spurs formedon the disk, and toform a different pattern the disk must be removed and one having adifferent arrangement of spurs substituted. The same result could beaccomplished by making the spurs removable, and such construction iswithin the scope of the invention.

2. An attachment for knitting-machines consisting of a gear-wheelmeshing with the tricks of the knitting-cylinder and apatterndiskcarried by the said gear-wheel and provided with integral lifting-spursadapted to engage under the butts of the knittingneedles.

3. An attachment for knitting-machines consisting of gear-wheels meshingwith the tricks of the knitting-cylinder and concentric pattern-diskscarried bysaid gear-Wheels and provided with lifting-spurs adapted toengage under the needle-butts.

4. An attachment for knitting-machines consisting of a bracket adaptedto be secured to the bed-plate of the knitting-machine, an obliquelyarranged stud secured in said bracket, concentric sleeves or hubs fittedon said stud, gear-wheels at the upper ends of said sleeves, andpattern-disks at the lower ends of the same.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER STAFFORD.

Witnesses:

GEO. D. SMITH, J. W. SHERMAN.

